Author Archives: Grace Garver

At this point, product placement as an advertisement method is an idea firmly embedded into the media psyche. Quite famously, films like E.T. have incorporated real-life products into their plots, while others mention products in passing or have them visible … Continue reading →

Like advertising for cigarettes, ads that feature alcoholic beverages are sometimes seen as potentially dangerous and are therefore heavily regulated within the advertising industry. Namely, regulation seeks to prevent the “glamorization” of drinking alcohol and avoid those under the age … Continue reading →

By 19th century standards, Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist contains one of the most shocking, violent scenes in all of Victorian literature. Of course, I am speaking of the moment when Nancy is brutally murdered by her lover, Bill Sikes. In … Continue reading →

In the age of the Internet, many advertisers have chosen to take a modern approach in the way they influence people to buy their products. I’m speaking of “ad retargeting,” or the way ads advertising for the products of retailers … Continue reading →

It’s no secret that Christmas is a hugely commercialized holiday–more and more, the buzz surrounding Christmas focuses on the economical, with advertising to convince people what items they should buy for their loved ones. But where exactly does this come … Continue reading →

Yesterday was one of the biggest shopping days of the year, with people lining up outside stores hours before they open in order to get the “best” deals. As someone who can only handle shopping in small doses, why people … Continue reading →

As we have observed in class, drug advertising was a mainstay in the advertisements accompanying many of Dickens’ publications. Today, prescription drugs are heavily advertised on U.S. televisions. However, the “drugs” of Dickens’ day are quite different from the prescription … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a Carolina Panthers football game with my family. Of course, when you are watching football on TV, you expect to be bombarded with male-centric advertising at every possible moment. But I had forgotten … Continue reading →

In Oliver Twist, Dickens’ two main female characters are essentially foils of each other–the chaste Rose and the prostitute Nancy. Clearly, this says a lot about how women were valued in the mid-18th century. Rose, who, despite her uncertain heritage, … Continue reading →

After reading two of Charles Dickens’ novels and seeing the format in which they were originally published, it is clear that his writing and advertising went closely hand-in-hand. Dickens was perhaps not the first author to capitalize on the financial … Continue reading →